Synthesis of CdII–4,4′-bipy coordination polymer nanorods with tunable size and shape

Large-scale regular coordination polymer (CP) nanorods with mean length and diameter of ca. 1 μm and 60 nm, respectively, were synthesized by self-assembly of Cd(NO3)2 and 4,4′-bipy (bipy=bipyridine) via a mild surfactant-free solution approach. The size of the nanorods can be tuned by changing the volume ratio (R) of the solvents of 1,2-ethylene dichloride and n-butanol, and the shape of the products can be changed by using chloroform or n-heptane instead of 1,2-ethylene dichloride. This simple method may be applied to synthesize other CP nanostructures with various functions.